Standing Outside The Fire
by Waffle Twins
Summary: Captured? Oh, the dread of being held prisoner in a dank little cell by your most frightening foes! This is most certainly not a fitting place for a lady!
1. Chapter 1

**Standing Outside the Fire**

Captured

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the lovely (crappy) plot and a Gaara plushie, so if you don't mind...

She's sitting alone in the dark, cramped, leaky cell. Her dress wet and cold from sitting on the damp cell floor and her wrists and ankles rubbed raw from the bindings placed on them.

The silence in the dreary room was broken by the echoing of two pairs of footsteps in the hall outside the cell and a scrapping sound on the hallway floor.

Light broke through the perpetual darkness being contained in the cell and illuminated the girl's face. With her tanned complexion, although the layer of dirt could be adding to the darker shade of her skin, and slightly bloodshot and watery blue eyes, she put on what she hopes to be a brave face.

As hard as she tried, she can't stand the shear brightness of the sudden light, she turned away, but once the door shut again she quickly turned back towards the door to see what reason the two men had come to her cell.

She caught a glimpse an item they dropped before the door was shut and locked. She saw a figure lying limp slightly curled in a fetal position. By the lack of curves she dubbed the figure a man.

As her eyes adjusted to the darkness once more she attempted to investigate the man. As she scuttled forward on shaky legs she saw that his head was held by his arms so she wouldn't be able to make out his facial features without moving him. She could, however, see that his head was shaved bald except for a bit in the back that was left long and held in a ponytail.

He seemed to be shivering. She crouched and put her hand on the back of his head. He was completely soaked!

Even though she has no idea who this man is, she just couldn't sit around and let him freeze. She wouldn't be able to stand the guilt. In fact she didn't know how the people who captured he could live with the guilt or maybe they just don't care. Why should worthless water tribe peasant matter to the Fire Nation army? It just wasn't fair! She had done nothing wrong! She wasn't sure about the man on the floor, but she was completely innocent! But life isn't fair…and she had more important matters at the moment. Like the fellow prisoner lying in front of her.

She started to move her hands in an attempt to bend some of the wetness out of the man's clothes.

After that was done she decided to get a comfortable as she could with those pesky shackles on her wrists and ankles.

Come to think of it, the man's hands were tied together in an odd fashion. With his palms pressed firmly together.

With those final thoughts she drifted away into and uncomfortable, dreamless sleep.

The girl was wakened by sounds of shuffling. The opened her eyes and waited for them to clear from sleep and get used to the lack of light.

Apparently the man was awake and from the sounds of it was having difficulty getting up.

Clinking of chains was followed by a loud thump which indicated the man had fallen. She crawled over to him and put her hand on his shoulder. He flinched at the sudden contact and turned around to face her. She gasped at what she saw.

"P-Prince Zuko...?

His face is marred with more then just a scar now, albeit not as permanent. His good eye is bruised and starting to swell and his lip is split and bleeding in two separate spots, forming twin streams of crimson.

He didn't seem to recognize her or he might just have not been able to make out her face with his good eye now handicapped also.

She started to back away until he winced and suddenly fell back. His back collided with the floor with an echoing bang.

Fearing he might be dead, she hesitantly walked to where he's laying on the cold cell floor. The slow but steady rise and fall of his chest indicated life and that satisfying her for the time being.

* * *

That's totally the end of that. Totally.

Feedback? Does this little tale interest you?


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The sound of the thick steel door opening woke the young bender.

Two men in fire nation armor came entered the cell. They marched over to the young prince and hoisted him upright. Holding him at his upper arms, the fire nation soldiers hauled him away.

The girl didn't move until the sound of Zuko's feet dragging across the floor dissipated. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding as she wondered what they wanted with that man. She answered her own question once she recalled the fact that he was _The_ _Fire Prince._

A feeling of safety and comfort, knowing that she wasn't in the company of her enemy any longer, overwhelmed the feelings of fear.

The slow dripping of water from a leak in the cell ceiling lulled her in to a deep sleep.

Zuko was awoken by a hard slap to the face. His body stiffened and he looked up to glare heatedly into the face of his assaulter.

Once he saw his captor's face, his glare hardened ten-fold.

"Zhao…" His voice was raspy from lack of use.

"Yes, _Prince_ Zuko!" Zhao said as a mocking grin formed on his ageing face.

"How _is_ your quest to capture the Avatar going? Have any luck, yet? Any little secrets you would like to clue me in on?"

Zuko kept his mouth closed and looked on into the eyed of Zhao with quiet dignity.

Angered by the Prince's silence, Zhao raised his hand to slap Zuko again. The sound echoed through the hallway and his face turned slightly from the force but he returned to staring at Zhao a few seconds later.

Zuko could not have been happier, even with the red hand print forming on his cheek, as he watched Zhao grow angry with his lack of response. He stared straight in the older man's eyes until Zhao turned to collect himself.

Once Zhao recomposed himself, he ordered Zuko to be taken back to the cell after mumbling something like "deal with him later".

The door to the cell opened again, this time not waking the girl. The fire nation soldiers pushed Zuko inside; a bit disappointed he didn't fall.

Zuko looked at his new 'home' with contempt, but then ridded himself of those thought and slumped against the wall, still proud of his **indifference towards Zhao.**

**After a few minutes of rest he opened his eyes again and saw a site he had missed in his first inspection of the tiny cell. **

**A girl. More specifically, the water tribe girl, the one who traveled with The Avatar! **

**He stood with little trouble, despite the bindings that were still on his hands, and walked over to her with a limp. **

**When he reached her, he knelt beside her and prodded her with the tips of his bound hands.**

**She groaned and opened her eyes to a blurry out line. Once her eyes cleared, they widened. **

**Quickly calling on her bending skills, she collected some of the sludgy liquid leaking down the cell's walls into a ball and tossed it blindly at Zuko. **

**Her blind shot hit the correct target but with very little force, leaving a wet, slimy and severely pissed off Zuko. **

**He was still for a moment, wide-eyed, then stood and with a grunt and wiped his face off with his sleeve. **

**"What the hell is wrong with you?"**

**"You're the one who was watching me sleep! What's wrong with _you_, you pervert?" **

**She sat up and glared at Zuko. **

**"I'm _not_ a pervert!"**

**At his last statement Zuko stood and took a few steps away from her. **

**They continued spouting random insults at each other until an annoyed guard tapped on the cell door and told them to 'shut the hell up!'**

**The guard reminded Zuko of their predicament and he gave up his glaring contest to contemplate the problem. **

**He can't believe this is happening! He'd accepted that he was banished and to took on his mission to capture The Avater with gusto! Since he'd been banished he had been nothing but loyal to his nation! Why would they capture him? Why would his father allow it? Banished or not he is still his son!**

** Zuko sighed then looked up at the girl. He couldn't remember her name. **

**"Girl! What is your name?"**

**She looked at him with a scowl marring her features. **

**"What's it to you?"**

**"Would you like me to call you girl or wench for our stay here?" Zuko stated calmly. **

**Its odd how he could stay so calm in this situation yet he could not deal with his uncle's constant pestering about tea. He missed him already. **

**"Katara." **

**"What?" Zuko inquired, caught off guard while stuck in his thoughts.**

**"My name. It's Katara."**

**"Oh…"**


End file.
